If you have any questions about litigating a claim for damages resulting from any type of vehicle accident, including motorcycle accidents, contact Powell Law. If you have any questions about litigating a claim for damages caused by a defective product, contact Powell Law. Our decades of experience make it the clear and obvious choice to meet all your legal needs, especially for representation in personal injury matters in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area.
About 4,000 motorcycle crashes occur on Pennsylvania roads each year. Crashes are most likely to occur in these high-risk situations:
Left turns
Approximately 50 percent of all motorcycle crashes involve another motor vehicle. Around 40 percent were caused by the other vehicle turning left in front of the motorcycle.
Vehicle’s blind spot
Often, because of their size, motorcyclists are difficult to see and may become hidden in a vehicle’s blind spot. It is important to check mirrors and visually check blind spots for hidden vehicles and objects such as motorcycles any time you change lanes.
Hazardous road conditions
Hazardous road conditions affect motorcycles differently than automobiles. A seemingly insignificant small piece of debris may be of no consequence to a car, truck or SUV, but it may seriously impede a motorcycle’s balance at high speeds.
Motorcyclists may suddenly alter the speed of the cycle or change direction or position within a lane reacting to road and traffic conditions such as potholes, uneven surfaces, wet or slippery surfaces, gravel, pavement seams, grooved pavement, and railroad crossings.
Hazardous weather conditions
Wet or icy road surfaces impair a motorcycle’s braking and handling abilities. These conditions may more significantly affect a motorcycle than a car, truck or SUV. It is important as the driver of a car, truck or SUV to exercise due care and consideration when you encounter a motorcycle in proximity to your vehicle in bad weather conditions.
Strong winds
Strong gusts of wind have the potential to push a motorcycle across an entire lane if unanticipated. Especially hazardous are wind gusts caused by the movement of large trucks in other lanes.
Large vehicles
Larger motor vehicles such as SUVs, vans, and trucks may impede a motorcycle from a driver’s vision. One moment the motorcycle is unseen by a driver, the next moment it may suddenly and unexpectedly appear. A driver’s senses and reaction time will be crucial in preventing an accident in this situation.
Sharing the road is the product of cooperation and non-aggression between motorists and motorcycles. By operating vehicles utilizing common sense, courtesy and knowledge of the law, motorists and motorcyclists may ride together on Pennsylvania’s roads in harmony and, more importantly, in safety.
Since Powell Law was founded by James Powell, Sr. in 1906, our attorneys have litigated personal injury cases involving all types of accidents, including motorcycle accidents. Our body of knowledge and expertise clearly provides our clients with a distinct and incomparable advantage. Powell Law has an established 113-year-old reputation throughout northeastern Pennsylvania for securing just compensation on behalf of our clients. Contact Powell Law at call (570) 961-0777. The consultation is FREE.
